


The Cardinal and His Cats

by BornOnAFridayIn91



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Cats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-16 23:13:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16504628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BornOnAFridayIn91/pseuds/BornOnAFridayIn91
Summary: Cardinal Copia and his cats.





	The Cardinal and His Cats

 When Cardinal Copia came to the church, he also brought his two cats. Everyone seemed surprised, knowing his fascination with rats, but their brief lifespan saddened him. He didn’t think he could part with a pet so soon, while cats could live into their twenties if not thirties.

There was a tiny black female named Salem, as soft as can be with glowing gold eyes and an adorable meow. She could almost pass for a stuffed toy and Gomez, a fat grey tabby male.

The Cardinal had rescued them himself. Salem was an outright stray he had found wandering the streets alone as a kitten. Gomez was going to be killed via gunshot to the head as a kitten since the family who took in his mother didn’t want him. The Cardinal did not want to think about what happened to the rest of his litter.

The newer Sisters of Sin who hated cats and were relegated to the church’s grunt work groaned at the idea of taking care of the cats. However, they were surprised that Cardinal saw to the cats’ needs himself.

“Why have a pet when you can’t care for them yourselves?” He would ask.

The Cardinal kept their litterboxes, toys, and beds in his private chambers, aside from plain cardboard box that Gomez treasured that was tucked in a corner of his office. The Cardinal took care to never leave a trace of the cats living there, but some of the church members had other ideas. While the halls, ritual areas and sanctuary were kept free of cat paraphernalia, some church members liked to make beds out of old linens and baskets for them as well as the obligatory empty box in communal areas.

The cats had their routine. Breakfast at five, sunning time, (Salem would sit in the library window and watch the birds and Gomez would sleep in the sunbeams on the floor), lunchtime for the humans which they would try to sneak table scraps, nap time, dinner at four and they would retire to the Cardinal’s quarters at nine along with him.

Rumors swirled about Salem, that she was the Cardinal’s secret eye for misbehaving church members. It’s said that his white eye can see what she does. You bought something from Chick-Fil-A? Accidentally grooved out to Skillet? Salem knew. The Cardinal knew.

Salem liked to perch from high above everyone else and glower down at them, superiority wafting from her tiny presence. She didn’t even seem to like Copia that much. While she never made any trouble, she rarely listened to her Human or gave him affection, or anyone affection for that matter. Anyone who tried to touch her without her desire would be swatted at, bit or completely ignored. She took pets when she wanted them by grabbing her desires’ hand and pulling it to herself.

The only time Salem was sweet was when she was in the kitchen. She’d curl herself around the clergy’s and other church member’s legs, look up to them with her big yellow eyes, pleadingly. She wanted meat. Preferably turkey slices but was just as fond of bacon. Not catnip or cat treats; meat.

Gomez could be found lounging in the middle of a desk in the library, front paws curled demurely with his back legs splayed out and a happy grin on his face like the fat and furry mermaid he thought he was. His favorite toy was a ratted tuff of feathers held together in a plastic ferrule which used to be attached to a string and pole, but he tore off after days of play. Gomez could be seen throwing the tuff in the air and scrambling after it. Often, he could be seen crying at doorways because his beloved toy had managed to slide under them.

Where Salem was sour, Gomez was sweet. He loved affection and freely gave it. Members of the church and congregation happily greeted him with a scratch behind the ears or a toss of his feathered toy. When children became wards of the Church and spent their first few nights there, the Cardinal would bring Gomez in to sooth them. He would sit happily in their little laps, his weight and fluff felt calming to the children (or anyone having a bad day), purring and rubbing his face against their own tear-soaked ones while the Cardinal assured them that everything would be alright.

Gomez and Salem needled at each other like siblings. Gomez would bite Salem’s tail or jump out and scare her but couldn’t take the retaliation. Whenever she got back at him, Gomez would run to the nearest safe space and pout.

While the Cardinal was busy with his duties, Salem was busy judging you and Gomez was busy being loved on, it was often the three would find themselves in the library late at night. The Cardinal would fall asleep studying ancient texts, an old tome open on his chest with Gomez was fast asleep on his lap and Salem curled on the back of his chair. It’s safe to say that they’ve found charmed lives with the Cardinal.

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is misanthropicpansexual for requests! Please leave feedback!


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